Star Trek:Odyssey 8:On The Line
by rylansato
Summary: Commander Zofchak is immobilized by an alien creature. To make matters worse, him and his team were attacked by mirror forces and crippled their runabout. Life support is offline and the Alexandria has to arrive in time to save the crew from suffocation.
1. Nothing Can Be Simple

Star Trek: Odyssey 8: On The Line

A Danube class Runabout just left orbit at a high rate of speed from an M class planet with rings. The planet has a greenish tint to it and a green trail of particle dust circled the planet before trailing off into space. The Runabout showed some battle damage and was getting ready to leave the system.

"How are we doing?" Lieutenant McKenzie asked rushing up to the two pilots.

"Not bad so far." Stull said. "Just as long as we keep them off our backs."

"We have a Mirror universe Akira class starship on our tail. One false move and we're dead." McKenzie said.

Stull nodded. "Yes, sir."

McKenzie patted her on the shoulder. "It's ok. I have faith in you, Ensign." The Lieutenant turned to the other pilot. "Keep returning fire."

"Aye, sir." Ensign Vail said.

McKenzie looked back to her three other passengers. Dustin Zofchak lied on the floor recoiling in pain. Alex Merriell walked over to Dustin's left side to see if he could offer any assistance. On Dustin's right was Hoshi Sato. A large insect creature had wrapped itself around Dustin's neck.

"Get this damn thing off me." Dustin said.

"We can't." Hoshi replied.

"Just cut it off."

"Contact the Alexandria, tell them we have a medical emergency." Alex said.

"There must be something we can do for him." Hoshi said.

"Grab the emergency first aid kit."

Hoshi jumped to her feet and ran to get it.

"Commander, every time we try to remove it. It just makes the pain worse. Just try to be still." Merriell said.

After grabbing the kit, Hoshi came up between the two pilots. "Is there anyway for us to go faster?"

"I'm working on it. That Akira class isn't helping matters. As soon as we clear the system we can go to warp." Stull pressed another button and the hailing frequency sound emitted from it. "Alexandria, Runabout Tigris is en route with medical emergency. Hostiles in pursuit."

Captain Allensworth walked onto the bridge from his ready room.

"Report."

"The Tigris reports a medical emergency." Sparhawk said. "I've alerted Doctor Plumley and she's standing by. The runabout is being attacked by hostiles."

"What kind of hostiles?"

"Mirror."

Allensworth looked somewhat annoyed.

"Put me through to Commander Zofchak."

"He is the injury, sir."

"Just great." Allensworth said turning to the view screen.

Merriell and Sato worked to try and help Zofchak. Merriell rummaged through the first aid kit while Hoshi knelt next to Dustin who was moving his left arm around along with swaying his feet to try and deal with the pain. Hoshi grabbed his right arm and made him grab her arm as a squeezing tool. She winced at first but then dealt with it. It couldn't possibly be near the pain Zofchak was in.

"There's nothing in here that is going to get rid that." Alex said.

"Something for the pain?" Hoshi asked.

"We don't have anything?"

Allensworth's voice came in on the runabout's intercom.

"Runabout Tigris, what's the situation?"

"Commander Zofchak is injured, we're about to leave the system and we're being pursued by a starship from the mirror universe."

"What's the status of Zofchak's injury?" Allensworth asked.

"There is some sort of alien bug attached to his neck. He's completely immobile." Merriell said.

"What's it doing to him?"

"We're not sure, sir. We can't get it off him."

"You understand the risk of bringing something like that back to the ship?"

"Yes, sir but we really don't have a choice."

"Understood, Commander. We're on our way. Alexandria out." Allensworth said. He then tapped his communicator. "Doctor Plumley report to shuttle Bay Two."

"On my way." Plumley replied.

"Evacuate and quarantine the shuttle bay once you arrive."

"Understood."

The runabout was getting ready to leave the system. Stull entered the commands to prepare to go to warp once clear of the system. They would've left the system earlier if they didn't have to make all sorts of evasive maneuvers to avoid the phasers and photon torpedoes that the mirror ship was firing at them.

Hoshi did her best to make Dustin more comfortable. It looked like he wasn't in as much pain as he really was. Merriell was going through the other compartments trying to find something that could help them.

"We're clear." Stull said. "Going to warp."

The nacelles on the runabout lit up just as the ship was about to take off. Suddendly, the ship rocked violently knocking everyone over. McKenzie was thrown off her feet. Sparks erupted in front of Ensign Vail sending her to the floor. Ensign Stull banged her head off of an edge of a computer panel, knocking her unconscious. Merriell and Sato both fell to the floor. Zofchak banged the back off his head off the bulked he was leaning on and he was unconscious as well. Computer systems and the lights flickered and eventually went out. The Runabout hung lifelessly in space as the mirror universe Akira class flew past it.


	2. The Beginning of the Story

Hoshi came to just as Alex was waking up. McKenzie was also beginning to wake up.

"What happened?" Hoshi asked.

"They fired on us." Alex replied.

"Then why are we still here and not dead?"

Alex stood to his feet and checked a console. It didn't respond to his commands. "Main power is offline, engines, weapons, shields...and life support."

"That's probably why they didn't completely destroy us. They read that our systems are a total failure and that we'd die anyway." McKenzie said. "You'd think they'd just blow us out of the stars to be sure."

"Dustin once told me that people from the mirror universe are more about torture and suffering. Maybe they want us to suffer. And with life support out, that'd be a good way of doing it."

Merriell went over to the two pilots. He felt for a pulse on Stull and found one. "Ensign Stull is alive," he stepped over to Ensign Vail. "Vail is not."

McKenzie found a compartment with wrist lights in it. She gave one to the other two conscious officers.

Alex stood up and took the light from the Lieutenant before joining both of them next to the unconscious chief engineer. Hoshi held a cloth to Dustin's forehead. The intercom kicked on.

"Runabout Tigris, we picked up phaser fire. What happened?" Allensworth said.

"That Akira class fired on us and left us for dead. Vail is dead. We lost weapons, shields, and main power is offline. We don't even have life support." Merriell said.

"How long do you have?"

"Not sure, sir. Hour. Maybe an hour and a half at most."

"Tell me what happened." Allensworth said.

"On our way back to rendezvous with you, we picked up strange sensor readings from a planet."

"What kind of sensor readings?" Allensworth asked.

"The same kind that we picked up in the Talos star system. They seemed to suggest that there was another anomaly forming, only this time it was on a planet. We went to the planet to check it out." Alex said.

FLASHBACK

Zofchak, Sato, McKenzie and Merriell, all armed, moved through the wooded section of the planet. All four of them had hand phasers in their hip holsters and carried phaser rifles. The planet looked a lot like Earth in terrain. Dustin held out his tricorder in his left hand scanning for the strange sensor readings they picked up in the runabout.

"This won't be good if this is what we think it is." Dustin said. "It'll be hard to fight an enemy that can appear at almost random anywhere."

Alex noticed movement out of the corner of his eye."

"We got movement." He said.

The others turned. Dustin saw Starfleet uniforms. He slightly relaxed but then realized it could be officers from the mirror universe.

"THUNDER!"

The uniformed people didn't respond.

"THUNDER, OR WE WILL FIRE."

The mirror officers opened fire.

"Or they'll open fire first." Alex said.

"GO! MOVE!" Dustin ordered.

The team retreated back as Dustin hesitated for a second so that his team could get in front of him. He aimed and fired his weapon at the hostiles while following his team back to the runabout.

END FLASHBACK

Dustin slowly opened his eyes. Hoshi had moved away and was looking in compartments for something that could help their current situation.

"Hi, Hoshi."

She looked at him, a bit surprised that he came to. She got up and moved to sit next to him.

"Are you all right?" Dustin asked.

Thinking that should be her question she responds. "I'm fine."

Dustin looked around and noticed he was still in the runabout. "Something tells me we haven't made it back to the ship yet."

Hoshi shook her head. "No."

Dustin noticed something else. "We've lost main power. It's also really cold in here so we must've lost life support as well."

"Yes, sir." McKenzie said coming up to him.

"You mean my day just got worse?"

Alex nodded. "We took damage from the mirror Akira class."

"Where is it now?" Dustin asked.

Alex shook his head. "We don't know. With sensors offline we can't track it. We think it moved off thinking that they had killed us."

"Status of Vail and Stull."

"Vail is dead, Stull is unconscious."

"Use whatever first aid we have on her." Dustin said. "Do what you can to get life support back online."

Hoshi took off her uniform top showing her blue science division turtle neck and put it behind Dustin's head to make him more comfortable.

"Aren't you going to get cold?" Dustin asked.

"No. I've been in colder areas. You seem a bit stronger."

"Nah, the pain doesn't seem so bad now." Dustin said.

"That's good." McKenzie said kneeling down next to him.

"No, it isn't, Lieutenant. I can't feel my legs. My hands and arms are numb." Alex stopped what he was doing and looked at his friend with concern. Dustin continued to talk about his symptoms. "I can barely move 'em. The feeling is creeping up. What I'm trying to say is unless you get this off me, I have even less time than you do."

Hoshi and McKenzie looked at each other in worry. Alex ponders the thought for a moment before realizing he should get back to work.


	3. Consultation

The Alexandria flew at high warp heading to the runabout's location to save their comrades.

"Sir," Kell Perim said. "We have an incoming vessel. It's an Akira class."

Allensworth looked to his first officer.

"The ship that attacked the Tigris was an Akira class." Sparhawk said.

Allensworth turned his attention back to Perim. "What ship is it?"

"NCC-63293. ISS Rabin. It's Mirror, sir."

"Shields up. Arm phasers, quantum and photon torpedoes. All hands battlestations."

"Shields up, weapons armed, sir." Fulks said.

"They've probably seen us by now. Drop out of warp and prepare to engage them."

The ship dropped out of warp as well as the Rabin.

"Mister Fulks, fire." Allensworth said.

Alex struggled with the controls trying to bring life support back online. Everyone could tell he was getting a bit frustrated but he knew that if he lost his cool then they all would die. They had about 40 minutes left of air and it was freezing. McKenzie paced the room rubbing her arms to keep warm.

"Lieutenant, use your MACO knife and cut this off me." Dustin said. "It can't hurt as much as it did last time."

"The last time we did that we almost lost you." Hoshi said.

"Sir, we tried to get it off you back on the planet." McKenzie said.

FLASHBACK

Dustin lied against a few boulders while McKenzie stood next to him. She drew her hand phaser.

"Ready, sir?"

Dustin nodded.

"Here we go."

McKenzie put the tip of the phaser against the bug creature and fired. The phaser beam sliced through the creature and Dustin screamed.

END FLASHBACK

"All we did was hurt you more. It just heals itself."

"It seems to feed on your strength." Hoshi said.

"Can we kill it?" Dustin asked.

"I don't think so." McKenzie said.

"I want a second opinion. Get Doctor Plumley on the com."

The Alexandria just flew through the debris of what was left of the ISS Rabin. Once it was clear, it shot back into warp.

"Sir, the Tigris is requesting to speak with Doctor Plumley." Perim said.

"Patch it in through to sickbay. Doctor Plumley, you have an incoming call from the Tigris." Allensworth said into the air.

Doctor Plumley walked over to a control panel and pressed a few buttons. Her medical staff was still ready for their arrival. They had returned to sickbay now that the situation had become more serious. They were waiting for the runabout to land in the shuttle bay but since the shuttle is crippled they might as well as beam the crew directly to sickbay.

"This is Plumley, go ahead."

"This is McKenzie. Commander Zofchak is conscious but the creature is still latched onto him."

"How do you feel about house calls, doc?" Zofchak said.

"We're on our way, Dustin. I'm told you have something of a cling on."

Plumley wanted to kick herself after the pun she made.

"Funny." Dustin said. "It's like the ugliest damn tick you've ever seen."

"How did it attach itself?" Plumley asked.

"Well, we were on our way back to the runabout."

FLASHBACK

The crew ran up a small hill and over an embankment.

"Tell Stull to get ready for take off. I'll cover you." Dustin said aiming his rifle.

"What about you?" Alex asked.

"I'll be there in a minute. Go."

The others ran off. Dustin waited for the mirror forces to show up. He scanned the area with his rifle aiming where he was looking. Then the mirror troops appeared. Dustin opened fire as soon as he saw them. He hit one as the other troops dove out of the way and returned fire. Dustin got up and took off into the woods. He ducked and dodged through the trees. He hid behind a tree before firing again.

He took off from his hiding spot as he fired his phaser. He looked in front of him one last time before he turned and fired again. He fired more as he ran, not knowing that he was going to run into a spider like creature that was hanging between two trees.

END FLASHBACK

"Can you describe it to me?" Plumley asked.

"Yes, sir." McKenzie said. "It's about a meter in length including the tail that's wrapped under his arm. It has two teeth like things that are sticking into his carotid artery. There are four legs wrapped around his throat. I can't see any eyes. It has a hard shell and a soft spot underneath."

"Commander, what are your physical symptoms?" Plumley asked.

"At first it felt like a knife in the eye. I've lost all feeling in my extremities. I can't move."

"So it incapacitates with pain and paralysis." Plumley said.

"I need to be able to get up and help Alex with the repairs. We're all dead if I don't." Zofchak said.

"What have you tried?" Plumley asked.

"I've tried to cut it off, burn it off, I've even tried to shoot if off. Phaser set to its highest setting without killing the commander." McKenzie said.

"It's healed itself every time we did something to it, sapping strength from Commander Zofchak." Hoshi said.

"Listen, Doctor, the commander is getting worse. We gotta do something right now." McKenzie said.

"You said it had a soft spot underneath like a leach." Plumley said.

"I tried to cut into it. It practically strangled the commander to death."

"You don't cut leaches off, you pour salt on it."

After a few minutes of searching the dark runabout, Hoshi and McKenzie returned with a few items.

"Have you found anything?" Plumley asked.

"Just a few spare bioneural gel packs and a portable defibulator." Hoshi said.

"Well, don't use the defibulator. Those jolts would kill the commander."

"I'm going to try and pour the gel pack onto the soft spot of the creature." McKenzie said.

McKenzie opened the pack and poured the blue gel onto the creature. The creature tightened its grip around Zofchak's throat and caused more pain for Zofchak as he screamed in agony.


	4. Cutting It Close

Zofchak continued to scream in pain. Merriell looked on from his position as Sato and McKenzie wanted to know what they could do to help.

"Sir, are you all right? Commander? Commander?" McKenzie asked.

Zofchak's hand gripped McKenzie's tunic and threw her into the wall. Due to Zofchak's facial expression the pain seemed to subside. McKenzie got back to her feet.

"What happened?" Plumley asked.

"It reacted to the bioneural gel pack."

"Please don't do that again." Zofchak said.

"I won't, sir. Sorry."

"Did it loosen its grip?" Plumley asked.

"No. If anything, it tightened it." Hoshi said.

Due to the cold and nearing the lack of oxygen, Merriell was having a hard time concentrating.

"We have fifteen minutes of air left." Merriell said.

"We're on our way, Commander. How's Commander Zofchak?" Allensworth asked.

"I'm still here." Zofchak said pushing back the pain.

"Hang in there, Dustin. We're getting there as fast as we can."

"I know you are. Listen, I'd like to say something while I still can." Dustin said gripping Hoshi's hand.

"Don't! You're going to get through this." Allensworth said.

"If I was, He wouldn't have let me go."

"Who?"

"The mirror Commander."

FLASHBACK

Zofchak saw the outline of a person in a Starfleet uniform. He couldn't tell if it was one of his or one of theirs. He assumed it was on of theirs judging by their approach. They walked casually towards him. Finally, his vision cleared up and saw that the officer wore three pips on his red collar. Dustin looked up at him waiting for him to fire his phaser. He knew his fate rested in this commander's hands. The mirror commander just stared at Zofchak and studied his situation. He slightly grinned and turned and walked away.

END FLASHBACK

"I guess he saw me as good as dead because he just walked away. So…what I wanted to say was…"

"Save your strength, Dustin. You can tell me in person."

"This is important."

Not wanting to hear his chief engineer say whatever he had to say because it sounded like everyone was giving up and that Zofchak wouldn't make it.

"Go ahead." Allensworth said.

"Well…wait." Before he could finish that train of thought another started up. "Hit me with the defibulator."

Plumley thought for a moment then smiled. "You might be on to something, Commander."

"I thought you said that this might kill him." McKenzie said.

"That's the idea." Dustin said.

"I don't understand." Hoshi said.

"How do you think it would respond if Commander Zofchak were to die right now?"

"It would stop feeding." Sato said.

"Exactly."

"How is that a plan?" Allensworth asked.

"We fool the creature into thinking the commander is dead by stopping his heart. If I'm right it should let him go." Plumley said.

"And when it lets go we can give him a jolt." McKenzie said.

"Dustin, are you sure you want to do this?" Allensworth asked.

"I want this damn thing off me."

"Lieutenant McKenzie, do you know how to do this?"

"Yes, sir." She said as she grabbed the defibulator. "Cut his shirt open."

Hoshi unzipped Zofchak's grey and black jacket and cut open the yellow turtleneck undershirt. They place the small archway over Zofchak's chest. McKenzie looked at Zofchak and then hesitated.

"DO IT!" He ordered.

McKenzie pressed the controls that sent shocks into Zofchak's body. Dustin's body went limp. McKenzie felt for a pulse and didn't find one.

"No pulse."

Hoshi pulled on the creature but it wouldn't budge.

"It won't come off."

"Sato, it may take a moment." Plumley said.

Hoshi continues to pull on it and finally the creature loosens its grip on the chief engineer's neck, revealing a real nasty wound. The lieutenant commander threw the creature to the ground. McKenzie stands up and pulled out her phaser. She aimed and fired at the creature, vaporizing it.

Once the last of its molecules were vaporized, McKenzie and Sato returned their attention to Zofchak. McKenzie enters the command on the defibulator control panel to send more shocks into Dustin's body. Dustin's body moves from the jolt but nothing else happens.

"He's not waking up."

At that moment Merriell sat down, looking like he was about to pass out.

"You've got less than two minutes before you run out of air." Allensworth said.

"I know, sir. Commander Merriell looks like he's about to pass out. Commander Zofchak isn't responding to the defibulator."

McKenzie sat down too. She was having a hard time trying to breathe. She looked at Sato who was having the same trouble.

The Alexandria flew at warp 9.9 towards the runabout.

"Transporter room, as soon as we're in range, beam them all to sickbay." Allensworth said.

"Aye, sir."

"One minute remaining." Perim said.

With everyone cold and lying down, Merriell attempted to stand up to complete his work. He was able to get to the panel but he couldn't focus.

"Thirty seconds." Perim reported.

Alex was too cold to hold the tool steady.

"Fifteen."

Captain Allensworth clinched his fist, knowing this was going to be close.

Alex fell onto his back, failing at his task.

"Five seconds."

Suddenly, the crew felt the familiar feel of a transporter overtake them. They rematerialized in sickbay. They all breathed in full gulps of air as the medical team ran to them.

"I'll be in sickbay." Allensworth said as he ran into the turbolift.

Plumley and her staff try to revive Zofchak with the larger defibulator. Captain Allensworth ran in and saw Plumley working furiously trying to revive Dustin. Seconds seemed like hours as Dustin showed no signs of waking up.

"We've got a pulse." Nurse Tabar said. "It's getting stronger."

"He's going to be okay." Plumley said.

Everyone let out a collective sigh.

Later that evening, Zofchak lied on a biobed as a Nurse Tabar tended to him. McKenzie, Sato, Nycz, Sparhawk and Merriell stood with him. Finally, Captain Allensworth walked up to them.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Starving." Dustin replied.

"He's got quite the hickey but Doctor Plumley says he should be fine in a few days."

"We should let you rest." Nycz said.

"No, you should get me food." Dustin said with a smile.

"It's good to have you back, sir." McKenzie said before leaving.

The only two to remain were the captain and Hoshi.

Allensworth looked to the two of them and smiled before leaving. "Take care of him, Commander." He said.

"Aye, sir." She said, unsure on what he meant by that. Shrugging it off, she turned back to Dustin.

"So what were you going to say?" Hoshi asked.

"When?"

"When you were going to…you know."

"Oh that."

"I was just going to say 'take care of each other'."

"I see." She said with a disbelieving look. "You weren't going to say that, were you?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Dustin said with a smile.

"I didn't think so." Hoshi replied before placing a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, Commander."

Sato left the room as Zofchak lied back to try and sleep.

The End


End file.
